In Country (1989)

A young girl whose father died in the Vietnam War becomes determined to find out more about him and his experiences.

Director:

Norman Jewison

Writers:

Bobbie Ann Mason (novel), Frank Pierson (screenplay)

Stars:

Emily Lloyd, Bruce Willis, Joan Allen

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bruce Willis	...	Emmett Smith
Emily Lloyd	...	Samantha Hughes
Joan Allen	...	Irene
Kevin Anderson	...	Lonnie
John Terry	...	Tom
Peggy Rea	...	Mamaw
Judith Ivey	...	Anita
Daniel Jenkins	...	Dwayne
Stephen Tobolowsky	...	Pete
Jim Beaver	...	Earl Smith
Richard Hamilton	...	Grampaw
Heidi Swedberg	...	Dawn
Ken Jenkins	...	Jim Holly
Jonathan Hogan	...	Larry
Patricia Richardson	...	Cindy

Storyline

Samantha Hughes, a teenage Kentucky girl, never knew her father, who died in Vietnam before she was born. Samantha lives with her uncle Emmett Smith, who also served in Vietnam. Emmett hangs around with Tom, Earl and Pete, three other Vietnam veterans who, like Emmett, all have problems of one kind or another, that relate to their war experiences. Sam, as Samantha is known, becomes obsessed with finding out about her father and his experiences, but Emmett and the other veterans don't want to talk about the war. Sam pushes everyone to attend a dance honoring the town's veterans, but Pete and Earl get into a fight, Emmett disappears, and Tom takes Sam home for an unsuccessful tryst. When Sam reads her father's diary, she begins to understand what his life and death meant, and with a trip to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, she and Emmett at least temporarily come to terms with the war in their lives.

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Plot Keywords:

vietnam war veteran | car | vietnam | memorial | vietnam war | 

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Taglines:

In the heartland of a nation... In the mind of a young girl... In the memory of a soldier... In the soul of America... The healing has begun.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | War

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

Of the five major characters who are Vietnam veterans, only one, Earl, is played by an actual Vietnam veteran, Jim Beaver.

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Goofs

In the opening scene where the Platoon Leader is marching in the Platoon you see his shirt has one too many buttons unbuttoned.

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Quotes

Dwayne: When I get back to the world, this will be a dream. But now, the world is a dream.

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Connections

Featured in At the Movies: Breakthrough Stars of 1990 (1990)

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Soundtracks

I Never Felt Worse
Performed by Jim Kimball
Courtesy of Soundscape Productions
Written by Jim Kimball and Steve Knox

User Reviews

An intriguing film with an excellent cast!

"In Country" is a film that, to me, gets better with each viewing. Bruce Willis' portrayal of Emmett, a troubled Vietnam veteran, seemed right on; and if he's done any better pure acting, I'm not aware of it. I strongly disagree with a couple of the negative comments on Emily Lloyd's performance in the film. I thought she was quite outstanding as Emmett's inquisitive niece, Samantha, who was searching for answers about her father who had died in Vietnam. As for why monotonic Winona Ryder wasn't selected for the role of Samantha (as mentioned in a prior comment) now that WOULD have been a drab, annoying performance as far as I'm concerned. There were also fine supporting performances from Joan Allen, Kevin Anderson, etc.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 September 1989 (USA)

Also Known As:

In Country

Filming Locations:

Lexington, Kentucky, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$18,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$36,505, 17 September 1989

Gross USA:

$3,531,971

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$3,531,971

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., Yorktown Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) Dolby Stereo (35 mm prints)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1